Gate fob canal-locks



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C. YV. YVILLIAMS, OF PORT JERVIS, NEV YORK.

GATE FOR CANAL-LOCKS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 23,635, dated April 12, 1859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, O. 7. VILLIAMS, of Port Jervis, in the county of Orange and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gates for Canal-Locks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure l, is a vertical section of my invention taken in the line Fig. 3. Fig. 2, a section of ditto, taken in the line y, y, Fig. Fig. 3, a horizontal section of ditto taken in the line e', e', Fig. 2. Fig. 4, is a horizontal section of ditto, taken in the line m, Fig. l.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to a novel means employed for opening and closing the gates and also in a peculiar manner of hanging them, whereby the usual balance sweeps are dispensed with and the gates allowed to be operated with comparatively little friction and rendered capable of being closed much tighter or with less leakage than formerly.

The invention also relates to an improved arrangement of means for operating the wickets whereby both wickets may be operated singly from one and the same crank shaft.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention I will proceed to describe it.

A, represents a canal lock and B, B, are the two gates, the back edges of which are rounded and fitted in coins a., in the sides of the lock, lower ends of the gates being stepped. as shown at 7) and the upper ends at their back parts having journals c, which pass through oblong slots CZ, in pulleys e, which are placed in boxes f, and encompassed by balls or spheres g, that serve as antifriction devices. The boxes f, are permanently attached to the top of the lock A, one at each side and are secured in proper position by rods z, the back ends of which are attached to the lock and the front ends to slides 2', which are litted in guides j, on the lock, the boxes being attached to the front ends of the slides, and the rods 71 attached to the slides by nuts la, so that by turning said nuts in the proper direction, the boxes may be strained back at any time when necessary and the sagging of the gates compensated for. This will be clearly understood by referring to Fig. 3. The journals c, are of rectangular form so that the pulleys c, may turn with them but the journals are allowed to work or move laterally in the pulleys on account of the oblong slots d. The gates B, B, are of such width that when closed they will have an oblique position relatively with each other as shown clearly in Fig. 3, the concave formed by the position of the gates being at the outer side of them. To the upper part of each gate B, a rod C, is attached by a oint f. The outer ends of these rods are attached by pivots or joints to a rack bar D, which is fitted between guides g, g', and on friction rollers 7L, attached to a platform E. On the platform E, a frame F, is placed, and in said frame there is a shaft i, having a toothed wheel G, on its inner end, which wheel gears into the rack bar D. The wheel Gr, is rotated when desired by a pinion j", the shaft j, of which is allowed to slide in its bearings on frame F, said shaft having a crank c, on its outer end. l

In one of the gates B, two wickets H, H, are placed as usual for emptying the lock. These wickets are of ordinary construction and are attached by links Z, to vertical rack bars I, I, fitted in a frame J attached to the upper end of the gate. Each rack bar has a pinion m, gearing into it and these pinions are on shafts a, a, that are placed in the frame J. The shafts a, n, have each a toothed wheel 0, at one end into which pawls 7?, catch, to prevent the casual movement of the wickets. In the frame J, and between the two shafts n, 17., a shaft (l, is placed. This shaft (j, is allowed to slide in its bearings and a. wheel r, is placed on said shaft, which wheel r, may be made to gear into either of the wheels o, by sliding the shaft Q, in its bearings.

From the description given it will be seen that the gates B, B, are opened and closed by operating the rack bar D, through the medium of the gearing j', Gr, and it will also be seen that the gates will when open or relieved from the pressure of the water at their inner side sag down so that their back ends will be loose in the coins a. This result is due to the oblong slots d, in the pulleys e, which permit the journals to move laterally in the pulleys. This sagging of the gates permits of the free opening and closing of the same for the pulleys e, have anti-friction bearings, Viz, the rollers gf* and as the gates are loose in the coins a, as they are opened and closed, they can therefore be readily manipulated. The gates also when closed will, in consequence of their oblique position relatively with each other, be acted upon bythe pressure of `the water in the lock so that their back edges will be forced snugly and water tight in the coins a. The sagging of the gates therefore does not. admit of their leaking, the pressure of the water itself preventing such result. The rack D, and rods C, C, also admit of power being applied Very directly and simultaneously to both gates, and this device in con` nection with the mode of hanging the gates insures their easy operation, and dispenses with the use of the ordinary balance sweeps. By having the shaft g, arranged to slide in its bearings, the Wheel r, may be made to gear into either wheel 0, so that both wickets H, H, may be opened or operated separately by one andthe same crank shaft Q. This arrangement simplifies the gearing for operating the wickets and facilitates the manipula tion of them. l would remark that the shaft j, in consequence of being allowed to slide in its bearings admits of the pinion j', being thrown out of gear with the wheel G, at any time.

I do not claim broadly the employment or use of the balls g, vfor they have been used for similar or analogous purposes; but,

Having thus described my invention, what I do claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,

lock A, by means of the rods lt, the boxes being attached to slides z', and arranged substantially as shown, so that the boxes may be adjusted as occasion may require.

4. Operating the wickets H, H, by means of the gearing arranged as described, whereby either wicket may be operated from one and the same'crank shaft l. W'. VVILLLXMS. litnesses H. H. STEWART, JAS. N. CONNIX. 

